TEHRAN – The Majlis on Tuesday continued examining the qualifications of the nominees for the ministerial posts for the third consecutive day.

The MPs discussed the qualifications of the nominees for the health, defense, transportation, and cooperatives ministry portfolios.
Transport minister nominee comes under fire
MP Alireza Zakani strongly opposed the nomination of Hamid Behbahani for the post of transport minister and said Behbahani offered huge amounts of money to MPs during his tenure in the ministry.
Zakani also pointed out that many of the statistics that Behbahani has included in his reports are “wrong”.
“Bahbahani has devoted the last three pages of his plans to reports of his performance during the last year and has made remarks that are mostly lies,” he said.
Zakani added that the Transport Ministry has signed a contract with China to complete the Tehran-North highway at a cost of $400 million while the contract was at first set to be signed at a cost of $225 million.
He also stated that Behbahani has said that he had bought 37 planes during the last year but the actual number is 9 planes.
Behbahani has said that he inaugurated the Tehran-Shiraz railway, which upon completion will be 850 kilometers long. However, 228 kilometer of the railway had constructed earlier, he noted.
The MP also said Behbahani has reported that he bought 40 locomotives during his tenure while he actually did not buy even one.
Mehrabian was not an efficient minister of industries
Talking against the nomination of Ali Akbar Mehrabian for the post of industries and mines minister, MP Hamid Reza Fouladgar stated that Mehrabian left a weak record as industries minister in the ninth administration.
He also pointed out that Mehrabian used to interfere in the appointments and dismissals of managers of companies which have been privatized.
Nominee for health minister can improve delivery of health care
MP Alireza Marandi supported Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi’s nomination for the post of health minister. Marandi, who himself served health minister during the Rafsanjani administration, said Dastjerdi will improve the delivery of health care if her nomination is approved by the Majlis.
Dastjerdi is a brilliant person and surely can materialize her plans, Marandi added.
Cooperatives minister nominee has no plan for social justice
MP Mohammad Qasim Osmani opposed the nomination of Mohammad Abbasi for the post of cooperatives minister and said Abbasi has no plans for social justice.
“In the plans presented by Mr. Abbasi, there are no plans for increasing social justice and creating equal opportunities,” he said.
Osmani pointed out that the Cooperatives Ministry has two major duties: creating job opportunities and promoting social justice.
These two duties have become a challenge for the nation and the system, he said.
“Are we satisfied with the current level of employment and social justice? Aren’t employment and justice serious challenges for the Majlis, the administration, and the system? Creating employment is a duty of the Cooperatives Ministry not the Labor Ministry,” he insisted.
Also, MP Hassan Kamran stated that Abbasi has not indicated where and when he received his Ph.D.
He also pointed out that Abbasi has said he has a Ph.D. in higher education while no university across the nation offers such a major.
Abbasi prevented dissolution of Cooperatives Ministry
MP Qasem Heidari supported Abbasi’s nomination, saying Abbasi’s good performance during his first term prevented the ministry from being dissolved.
“Abbasi has a revolutionary and jihadi stance towards cooperatives,” he said.
He also pointed out, “During his three-year tenure in the ministry, Abbasi showed that he is well aware of the nation’s needs, such as curbing unemployment and properly utilizing resources.”
Abbasi’s plans are based on the “economic science and the equations of the global markets,” the MP added